I used the new feature of the website to look up what kind of Merc you have in the membership list. It shows you have a ’54 4dr. I looked up oil pan removal in my “Motor Auto Repair Manual” and here are the steps to remove the pan while the engine is in the car.

1. Bring #6 piston up on top dead center (TDC) to allow clearance between oil pan and crankshaft.

Oooooops! sorry guys, I should have mentioned that I have the ’54 4d Monterey !

Thanks for the very helpful instructions, Virgil, they do make a difference as I thought I could only lower the oil pan to slip in the gasket!

One more question please: Is there a way to determine if besides the oil pan gasket, I also have a leak from the rear crankshaft oil seal?

Perhaps once I have gone that far, it might be worthwhile to change the oil seal as well, but thne Ii read on the Fel-Pro oil seal instructions, that I should use a special ‘packing tool’ which i dont have. Any suggestions are welcome!

I would agree with you that once you have the pan off you might as well replace the rear seal. I think the ’54s had some issue with that rear seal leaking. I looked up rear seal installation in my ’54 shop manual and it appears there is a need for a special tool to seat the seal into the grooves properly. Not sure where you could purchase such a tool but I would check with FelPro for help. Maybe someone else has replaced that seal without the tool and can post on the website. Good luck.